Best Ticket Pinch Hitter (2009)

Mike Bacsik, KTCK-1310 AM

Judging by his performance this summer as a fill-in host when The Ticket starters took vacation time, Mike Bacsik's broadcasting has much more promise than his baseball career. The Dallas native's 13 years as a pro—mostly spent in the minors—would've been completely forgettable if not for a meaty fastball thrown to Barry Bonds on August 7, 2007, which Bonds hammered for his record-breaking 756th career home run. But after a humble start as a BaD Radio intern during the off-season, it doesn't sound like he'll be sent back down to the radio minors anytime soon. He proved capable enough to take over as producer of Norm Hitzges' weekday morning show and, naturally, as co-host of the Rangers' post-game show. Along with having baseball smarts, he's an informed basketball fan. Most important, he's got a sense of humor and doesn't flounder or clam up when talking about something other than sports—rare abilities among ex-jock broadcasters.